Popeye

Cultural  

1. A tattooed, corncob pipe-smoking comic strip character created in the early twentieth century. Popeye the Sailorman is constantly called upon to save his girlfriend, Olive Oyl, from the schemes of the villainous Bluto. To gain the necessary strength, Popeye consumes a can of spinach.

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Though said to have been inspired by the marketing division of a spinach manufacturer, Popeye has proved enduringly popular, spawning adaptations for the radio, animated cartoons, and a motion picture.

Example Sentences

“You would not believe what it was back then,” said Popeye Vasquez, the company’s regional marketing director for the Western U.S.

From Slate • Jun. 25, 2026

As New York cop Popeye Doyle in the 1971 film The French Connection, Gene Hackman's cemented his reputation as one of Hollywood's great tough guys.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

The U.S. military used cloud seeding during the Vietnam War in a classified project called Operation Popeye, to try to gain an advantage by extending the monsoon season, according to the State Department.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

The signature pipe is very much a smoking presence, making Harris, on record as a huge fan of the books, look a little like Popeye.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2025

I’m Popeye the sailor man dum dum I live in a caravan dum dum I open the door And fall-on the floor I’m Popeye the sailor man dum dum Up two.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy